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A18 SPORTS
Thursday 15 February 2018
Speedskater Jorien ter Mors sets Olympic record in 1,000

By RAF CASERT As the games drew near- more gold in short-track
AP Sports Writer er, she felt her form come speedskating. She will com-
GANGNEUNG, South Korea back. And on Wednesday, pete in the 1,500 in that
(AP) — Struggling through it was there for all to see. discipline on Saturday, and
back and knee problems With four medal favorites she doesn’t want to count
all season, Jorien ter Mors still to go, her time of 1 min- herself out.
knew any conventional re- ute, 13.56 seconds could “It is tough to predict,”
covery would not make her have stopped many chal- Ter Mors said of the hel-
an Olympic champion. lengers in their tracks. ter skelter event. “I’m in
The unconventional, It beat the high-altitude good shape but you have
though, did the trick. Olympic mark that Chris to make the right tactical
“As an athlete you are al- Witty set to win at the 2002 choices during the race.”
ways a bit crazy,” ter Mors Salt Lake City Games by But the way things are go-
said. “You go for all or noth- 0.27 seconds. ing for the Dutch, don’t
ing.” “It was a perfect race,” said count her out.
Ter Mors won the gold med- Ter Mors, who is not known It has been all orange on
al Wednesday in the 1,000 Jorien ter Mors of The Netherlands celebrates setting a new for a fast start but couldn’t the oval so far, and the
meters and kept the Neth- Olympic record in the women’s 1,000 meters speedskating be matched once she hit Netherlands is favored to
erlands perfect in speeds- race at the Gangneung Oval at the 2018 Winter Olympics in her stride. add a sixth gold on Thurs-
kating at the Pyeongchang Gangneung, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. She punched the air after day when Sven Kramer
Games with five wins in five Associated Press crossing the line, shout- goes for another Olympic
races. the infield over Christmas with “watch it.” Despite the ing “yes” between gritted title in the 10,000.
Although few would have after she failed to qualify lower back pain, it was time teeth as she handily beat Overall, the Dutch have
bet on her a week ago, ter for the 1,500 team, the dis- to start lifting weights — Brittany Bowe in the head- won nine of 15 medals in
Mors set an Olympic record tance in which she was the many and often — to build to-head pairing. long-track speedskating
in the 1,000 and posted the Olympic champion. the explosiveness needed Nao Kodaira and Miho and also have two silvers
fastest time any woman She knew the 1,000 could for the 2½-lap race that Takagi, expecting to finish on the short track, putting
has ever skated at sea level still give her an outside shot barely takes a minute. 1-2 for Japan, had to settle the nation with no moun-
over the distance. at gold and single-minded- “I started power training for 2-3 behind ter Mors after tains and little snow in sec-
Quite a turnaround for a ly centered her attention again,” she said. “When both slumped over the last ond place in the overall
woman who looked like a on that distance. She was your back is not in great half lap. medal standings at the
crumpled pile of misery on done with “careful,” done shape, it is a massive risk.” Ter Mors has a chance for Winter Games.q

‘The Tobys’ reign again as Olympic doubles luge champions

By TIM REYNOLDS Cup circuit this season, only bronze in both 1998 and
AP Sports Writer managed a bronze. 2002. But a young team of-
PYEONGCHANG, South Ko- “The Tobys have a history fered plenty of hope for the
rea (AP) — Just about ev- of holding onto their speed, future.
eryone in the international keeping it kind of in waiting Justin Krewson and Andrew
luge world refers to the Ger- until it’s time to perform,” Sherk — who got into the
man team of Tobias Wendl USA Luge’s Matt Mortensen Olympics by 0.062 seconds,
and Tobias Arlt as “the To- said. “I don’t think that Toni the difference between
bys,” for obvious reasons. and Sascha had a bad their sled and the one of
Call them two-time Olym- competition. I just think the U.S. teammates Jake Hy-
pic champions now, too. Tobys probably came with rns and Anthony Espinoza
As most expected, a Ger- a better setup for today.” at the deciding World Cup
man team won the dou- Wendl and Arlt are the race in Lake Placid, New
bles luge title at the Py- first German team to win York in December — were
eongchang Games. As few two straight doubles golds eighth in their Olympic
expected, it was Wendl since Hans Rinn and Nor- debut. “Best day at work
and Arlt — the second- bert Hahn in 1976 and 1980. ever,” Krewson said.
best team in the world all They had the fastest time in It may be the final race
season, yet the team that each of the two runs, plus for Mortensen and Terdi-
stood highest on the Olym- set both the start record man. It’ll definitely be their
pic medal podium. They and the track record. last Olympic race, since
held off Austria’s Peter Penz and Fischler were sec- Mortensen has already de-
Penz and Georg Fischler by ond-fastest in each heat, cided he won’t stick around
0.088 seconds for a second Eggert and Benecken third- for a shot at the 2022 Beijing
straight gold medal. fastest in each. Wednes- Games. And even after a
“I can’t describe the words day’s race was only the difficult night Wednesday,
that I’m feeling, what the eighth time out of their the Americans said they
feeling is inside,” Arlt said. last 30 international starts will hit the relay with tons of
“We’re again Olympic that Eggert and Benecken confidence.
champions and so happy, didn’t leave a race as the “Summer wants redemp-
it’s just amazing.” winners. Tobias Arlt and Tobias Wendl of Germany celebrate theor tion, we want redemption,
Germany’s Toni Eggert It was a disappointing night gold medal winning run during the men’s doubles luge final Chris wants to keep his
and Sascha Benecken, the for the Americans, who at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, train rolling,” Terdiman said.
heavy Olympic favorites haven’t medaled in dou- Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. “Let’s keep it going, baby.
after dominating the World bles since taking silver and Associated Press We got this.”q